Melancholy madness

"Melancholy Madness investigates life, death and the duties and responsibilities of the coroner in post-famine Ireland through the inquests recorded in the coroner's casebook. The actual facts of people institutionalised, the dysfunctional dynamic within families, the hardships of daily tasks and rural life and the state in which a body was found is offered along with the testimony of family members, relatives and other witnesses." "The reports are unique - they are one of the only complete collections of their kind in Ireland covering a 20-year time period. They were never lodged in the National Archives and have not been referred to or published anywhere. This is the first time they appear in any publication."--Jacket.